Nubiyan Twist’s genre-bending extravaganza heads to Yellow Arch

Afrobeat-jazz pioneers Nubiyan Twist will journey to Sheffield on 5th April, topping a wildly eclectic bill at Yellow Arch Studios.
Organised by Now Then, the event will see the gargantuan 10-piece bring their famously spontaneous and eclectic live show to the Steel City.

Still reeling from the reception of last Autumn’s genre-bending, crowd-funded LP Jungle Run, Nubiyan Twist have been hailed as one of the true rising stars of the festival scene. The band, who originally hail from Leeds but now reside in London, have graced stages from Boomtown to Edinburgh Jazz Festival, as well as countless places in between.

Audiences can often expect their performances to stray into uncharted improvisational and experimental territory, according to saxophone player Nick Richards.
Speaking to Now Then, he said: “We’ve been using our live gigs as a way of composing music. We all try out our ideas for a live audience. It’s a way to be as honest with our music as we possibly can.”

The band’s fans include David Rodigan, Craig Charles and David Byrne, the latter of whom hand-picked them to join the line-up at London’s Meltdown festival in 2015. Sheffield poet laureate and local hip-hop sensation Otis Mensah will also bring his self-described ‘existential quarrel’ to the bill, alongside Moonmonkey, Mr Stag Beetle and The Empress.